The California doctor accused of intentionally driving his Tesla off a 250-foot Devil Slide cliff thought he was protecting his family, a psychologist testified.
Dharmesh Patel, 42, was experiencing a psychotic episode and feared his two children were victims of sex trafficking, Dr. Mark Patterson, an expert witness called by Patel’s attorney, said Wednesday.
“It was paranoid and somewhat delusional thinking for him to act at that time to protect his family from a worse fate,” Patterson told the court.
‘She was concerned that her children were at risk of being kidnapped, possibly for sexual abuse. … There was concern about the fentanyl explosion in this country and the war in Ukraine.’
Patel pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempted murder after his white 2021 Tesla Model Y veered off the Pacific Coast Highway south of San Francisco and fell off the cliff on Jan. 2, 2023.
Dharmesh Patel, 42, accused of intentionally driving his Tesla off a 250-foot Devil Slide cliff thought he was protecting his family, a psychologist testified.
The Pasadena radiologist’s children, ages 4 and 7, and his wife Neha Patel, 41, were in the car, and an official said it was an “absolute miracle” they made it out alive.
Patel was experiencing a psychotic episode and feared her two children were being sexually trafficked, Dr. Mark Patterson, an expert witness called by Patel’s attorney, said Wednesday.
Patterson was the first witness called Wednesday morning, according to San Francisco Chronicle.
He diagnosed Patel with major depressive disorder with a single episode of psychotic features and anxious distress after meeting with him a dozen times.
The psychologist said Patel’s psychosis peaked in the days before the car accident, adding that he had been hearing footsteps and thought he was being followed.
Patterson said he believes the 42-year-old is qualified to receive treatment under the mental health diversion law, saying, “I see him as someone who is very motivated and willing to receive treatment.”
He stopped having delusions while he was held without bail in the San Mateo County Jail, Patterson testified, adding that he “still feels a lot of remorse.”
Patterson’s psychosis took center stage at Wednesday’s hearing, as charges against him would be dropped if he is granted diversion and completes two years of treatment.
Dr. James Armontrout, the defense’s second witness, diagnosed Patel with “major depressive disorder with psychotic features who is currently in remission.”
He also said Patel met the requirements for a mental health diversion, which he and his legal team applied for in July last year.
The case will return to court on May 2, where San Mateo County prosecutors are expected to call their witness.
Judge Susan Jakubowski will determine whether Patel has a mental illness that contributed to the alleged murder and where he poses a threat to public safety at the end of the hearing.
Diversion is part of a new state program in California that focuses on preventing mentally ill defendants from being incarcerated.
The disease must be treatable within the duration of the diversion, which would be two years in Patel’s case, since he faces felony charges.
Neha Patel, the doctor’s wife, told investigators after the accident that her husband was depressed and had expressed his intention to take down the group.
Neha Patel (pictured) told investigators after the accident that her husband was depressed and had expressed his intention to bring down the group.
Dharmesh Patel (pictured in February 2023) sports an orange jumpsuit in a San Mateo County courtroom.
Court records show that Neha, 41, told a California Highway Patrol officer that “he’s a doctor.” He said he was going to jump off the cliff. He left on purpose.
Witnesses backed up that story, saying they didn’t see the car try to stop as it flew off the cliff and tumbled toward a rocky beach.
Patel survived with only minor injuries to his leg and foot, while Neha suffered more serious injuries from the accident.
The couple’s seven-year-old son was seriously injured and their four-year-old son walked away with only bruises. Both children were released from the hospital within a few weeks.
The radiologist initially claimed that he was not at fault and that his Tesla had had tire problems on the day of the accident.
He said he had stopped at gas stations three times to put air in his tires and that the tire pressure light had come on just before he went over the cliff.
The remains of the Tesla are shown at the foot of the cliff.
In June last year, the doctor was banned from practicing medicine after the medical board called him “an alarming danger to the public.”
Regulators argued the ban was necessary because Patel had “impaired cognitive abilities necessary to safely practice medicine.”
In a statement issued to the Mercury News, the medical board said Patel could not practice “under any circumstances” with the case still open.
“The ban on practicing medicine will continue until the order is modified by the court or the criminal case against him concludes,” the statement reads.
Despite Neha’s insistence that her husband intentionally pushed their family off a cliff, Patel’s defense attorney said she did not want her husband to be prosecuted.
The lawyer’s statements were rejected by Wagstaffe, who stated that Neha’s statements after the accident supported the attempted murder charges.
‘He said very simply that this was not an accident. “We believe the evidence establishes the necessary intent to kill,” Wagstaffe told the San Francisco Chronicle.
A lawyer representing Neha said she is expected to address the court next month.